Friday, 18 January 2013

Elephant and Castle Urban Forest

Not far from LCC, at the Elephant & Castle there is a forest of approximately 400 trees which are over forty years old, hidden in between concrete and abandoned housing, the Heygate Estate. This location will be the setting for the second phase & experiments of our printmaking workshop. It explores the urban environment and utilises the process of screen printing.

Thursday, 17 January 2013

jLooking at how artists and designers use natural or man made materials can influence how we interpret and create interventions in our own work and viewpoints. Here are a few makers:Exhibitionthat demonstrates an inventive use of natural resources http://www.camdenartscentre.org/whats-on/view/exh-25Adrain Berg'sperspective drawings of landcapes and rural environments. http://adrianberg.com/gallery/watercolour/

Gaylord SchanilecThe River is a study of the 22-mile length of the upper Mississippi River known as Lake Pepin, or Pool Number 4 by the Army Corps of Engineers. Using block printing & engraving.http://www.midnightpapersales.com/blog/

"I view myself as something of a modern day natural philosopher swimming in the wake of Darwin, or Thoreau".

"objects gain their value through the situations in which they are placed - in other words, what defines the value of an object is not the material it is made from or the function it serves, but its position in a context"

- Oxallis (wood sorrels) (flowers) -
the one with the yellow flowers. Use the flower heads, some stem ok. It is
nearly fluorescent yellow, and quite colorfast on alum mordanted wool.

If the oxalis flowers are fermented or
if a small dash of cloudy ammonia is added to the dyebath (made alkaline) the
fluorescent yellow becomes fluorescent orange. Usually I do this as an
after-bath, once I have the initial colour. Useful for shifting the dye shade,
and some good surprises in store!

Add clay (bought as a clay powder or it
can be found naturally near a riverbed-- though needs to be cleaned and
strained before use). Mix enough clay into the paste so that it becomes like a
thick cream.

Add pigment (optional: if you like the
color of the paint this is not necessary). You can find natural pigments, in
powder form, at art supply stores.

Use a brush to apply to wall. When
paint is nearly dry (but still moist), it can be polished with a damp tile
sponge.

Receipe
2:

1 cup of cornstarch

1/2 cup of water

1/3 cup of soap flakes melted with a
half cup of boiling water

Natural homemade dyes

Grate a homemade soap bar until you get
a third cup of soap flakes.

Combine cornstarch, water, and melted
soap in a bowl.

Stir well and let mixture set until
thickened.

Divide into separate bowls and add in
natural dyes for color.

Your paints are now ready for a canvas!

Recipe
for milk paint

8 parts skim milk

1 part hydrated lime (AKA builders
lime). Avoid quick lime.

2 parts linseed oil ( boiled type )

1/4 part salt

Pigment

Mix ingredients. Strain with
cheesecloth or fine mesh. Can be kept in refrigerator for a few days.

Receipe 2:

The easiest to make and least expensive homemade paints
consist of milk, lime, and pigment. For additional body a filler, such as chalk
powder or plaster can be added. My
preferred recipe is simplicity itself:

1. Fill a container with one to two
cups of hydrated lime. Gradually add water and stir until you have a thick
paste.

2. In a separate
container, do the same with the pigment powder. For a small batch like this, 2 to 4 tablespoons of
pigment is typically sufficient.

3. Gradually add milk
to the lime paste until you achieve
the consistency of sour cream. Then add the pigment paste and mix
thoroughly. Safety tip: Despite the
relative low toxicity of the ingredients, wear vinyl gloves and a dust mask
when working with lime and pigment.

ADDING PIGMENTS TO HOMEMADE PAINTYou can buy
pigmentsat many hardware and artist supply stores. Avoid using
pigments made from toxic compounds, otherwise you'll defeat the purpose of
making your own paint. Some common toxins used in pigments include cadmium,
lead, mercury, and cobalt.

You can make many of
your own colorants using natural
ingredients but the process is a lot more time-consuming than making paint
alone. Also, the colors produced through home-brewed dyes are more subtle than
store-bought pigments. If you do want to make homemade pigment, try these
methods:

- Add water to steel wool for a red rust
coloring. - Try simmering everything from berries and
vegetables to bark and leaves to create the dyes. Blackberries, for example,
make a strong dye. - Brew coffee or many tea to create neutral
tones. - Boil peach or crab apple leaves for
greens. - Use store-bought juice concentrates, such as
blueberry and cranberry, to create pleasing tints.

ADDITIONAL TIPS ABOUT HOMEMADE PAINT- Milk paint is not as
scrubbable as its commercial cousins. In
areas subject to spills, apply a protective coat of shellac or oil finish. If
you choose the latter, stay green with a plant oil-based finish.

- The shelf life for
milk paint is short. Store unused
paint in the refrigerator. It can be used until the milk sours. Brushes clean
easily with soap and water.